Many boron containing compounds are boric salts. Many different kind of boric salts exist. The boric salts typically used in the industry are those based on sodium or potassium. Sodium borate in its many different forms is a compound with many applications in various fields of industry. Sodium tetraborate pentahydrate (Na2B4O7.5H2O) is for instance used in large quantities in the production of insulation fiberglass and of sodium perborate bleach. Sodium tetraborate decahydrate (Na2B4O7.10H2O) is found as part of adhesives and in anti-corrosion systems. Sodium borates are also used as flux when soldering silver or gold, and in combination with ammonium chloride for the welding of iron containing metals. They are also used as flame retardant additives for many plastics and rubber materials. In many detergents, laundry detergents, cleaning agents and bleaching products, sodium perborate serves as the source of active oxygen.
Boric acid (also know as borate acid, orthoboric acid or Acidum Boricum) H3BO3 is used in the production of textile fiberglass and flatscreen monitors. It also has antiseptic, antifungal and antiviral properties and is for those reasons often used as a disinfectant for swimming pool water. Boric acid is conventionally also used as insecticide, in particular against ants, fleas and cockroaches. In nuclear power plants, it is used to absorb neutrons, by which the rate at which nuclear fission occurs may be reduced. It is further used as a flame retardant and as a precursor for other chemical compounds. Boric acid is offered in the form of colourless crystals or as a white powder, and dissolves slowly in water. When it occurs as a mineral, it may also be called sassolite.
Boric acid and borates such as borax pentahydrate, sodium pentaborate decahydrate, sodium metaborate octahydrate, potassium tetraborate tetrahydrate, potassium pentaborate octahydrate and particularly borax decahydrate are compounds which are used commercially very broadly, such as as raw material for the production of boron containing products, or as ingredients of compositions of which they themselves are the main or a partial component. Products containing boron may for instance be cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, products for treating leather and textiles, detergents and adhesives, more specifically starch and casein adhesives.
The use of these boron containing compounds as raw material or as a component of a mixture, often comprises their addition as a solid, and in many processes this addition is performed in a continuous manner. Current methods to transport boric acid or borates in a solid form comprise automatic dosing systems such as a hopper or a screw feeder. In the industry a common problem is that the solid boron containing compound forms lumps, which may clog up the supply or cause an uneven distribution of the compound. The formation of lumps is often associated with the hydroscopic nature of many boron containing compounds, often combined with the moisture which may be present in the composition to which the boron containing compound is added.
Sodium borate, as most boron containing compounds, is most typically known as a powder. There are however certain hazards associated with the use of boron containing compounds, because several of those compounds are associated with particular dangers or possible health problems with humans. When transporting and handling boron containing compounds in a solid form, the risk occurs that the compound comes in contact with the skin or enters the respiratory tract. Microparticles which by use as a powder may become blown up may then become absorbed into the respiratory system. They may also irritate the eyes and cause allergic reactions. There is therefore a need for reducing the use of boron containing compounds in the form of a powder.
Boron containing compounds, such as sodium borate and boric acid, are materials which are widely used in the industry, and there is therefore a major need for a composition comprising boron containing compounds which are safer for the people handling them. Liquids are usually more easy to transport, and safer than powders because they are less readily blown up. Sodium borate is like boric acid and other boron containing compounds soluble in water and in other solvents, but usually at a rather low solubility. Dissolving a particular amount of boron containing compound in for instance water may therefore require large volumes of liquid, which then become difficult to transport.
It is the target of the present invention to offer a composition in which boron containing compounds may be transported and handled in a safer and more efficient manner.
The present invention aims to obviate or at least mitigate the above described problem and/or to provide improvements generally.